Mansfield Park book covers This year my Jane Austen group is doing a slow read of Mansfield Park, which involves our reading and discussing the novel, one volume at a time, over three months. This month, we did Volume 1, which, for those of you with modern editions, encompasses chapters 1 to 18. It ends … Continue reading Jane Austen, Mansfield Park (Vol. 1)
19th century literature
Nell Stevens, Mrs Gaskell and me: To women, two love stories, two centuries apart (#BookReview)
It's a bit of a stretch, I admit, to submit Nell Stevens' strange hybrid biography-memoir, Mrs Gaskell and me, as my second contribution to Bill's (The Australian Legend) Gen 0. But, having read Elizabeth Gaskell's two novellas, Lizzie Leigh and Cousin Phillis, for the week, and having had Stevens' book on my TBR for a … Continue reading Nell Stevens, Mrs Gaskell and me: To women, two love stories, two centuries apart (#BookReview)
Elizabeth Gaskell, Lizzie Leigh AND Cousin Phillis (#BookReviews)
This year, Bill (The Australian Legend) has framed his usual January "Gen" (short for generation) week, as Gen 0. Zero? How can that be? Well, let's get it from the horse's mouth. Bill says, "I am using ‘Gen 0’ as a designation for those writers – necessarily not Australian – whose work influenced, predated or … Continue reading Elizabeth Gaskell, Lizzie Leigh AND Cousin Phillis (#BookReviews)
Jane Austen’s The Watsons in Trove: Finishing the unfinished
While searching Trove recently for my Monday Musings 1923 sub-series, I came across some articles on Jane Austen's unfinished novel, The Watsons, and can't resist sharing them with you. I have written about unfinished books before, including on Jane Austen's unfinished novels, The Watsons and Sanditon. Unfinished books aren't to everyone's taste but, if you … Continue reading Jane Austen’s The Watsons in Trove: Finishing the unfinished
Slow reading: Jane Austen’s Pride and prejudice
Some of the editions of Pride and Prejudice owned by my JA group Back in the early to mid-2010s, my local Jane Austen group undertook a program of slow reading Jane Austen's novels, coinciding with those books' 200th anniversaries. Given that began around a decade ago, we decided last year that it was time to … Continue reading Slow reading: Jane Austen’s Pride and prejudice
Jane Austen on travel
It's been some time since I posted on Jane Austen, but currently my local Jane Austen group is repeating the slow reads we did a decade or so ago when her novels had their 200th anniversaries. Last year, we did Sense and sensibility, and right now we are doing Pride and prejudice. There are different … Continue reading Jane Austen on travel
Pauline Johnson, A red girl’s reasoning (#Review)
As some of you know, I have a close American friend, Carolyn, with whom I correspond weekly. We met in the early 1990s when I was living in California. During that time we started a reading group, so you won't be surprised that our correspondence always includes reference to what we are - or are … Continue reading Pauline Johnson, A red girl’s reasoning (#Review)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Introducing Rachel Henning
If you are an Aussie who was sentient in the 1950s and/or 60s, you have probably heard of Rachel Henning. If not, she may be new to you, though she does have something of a classic status in Australia. Let me explain. Rachel Henning (1826-1914) was an Englishwoman who came to Australia in 1854 with … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Introducing Rachel Henning
Jane Austen, Sense and sensibility (Vol. 3, redux)
I've called this post "Vol. 3, redux", although it is my first post on volume 3. The reason is that for my Jane Austen group's 2011 slow read of Sense and sensibility, I wrote posts on volumes 1 and 2, but not on volume 3 as I missed the meeting, and never did write up … Continue reading Jane Austen, Sense and sensibility (Vol. 3, redux)
Jane Austen, Sense and sensibility (Vol. 1, redux)
In 2011, my Jane Austen group started a slow read of her novels in chronological order of publication, which meant that we started with the 1811-published Sense and sensibility. By slow read, we meant that each month we'd read a volume of the chosen novel, given most novels in those times were published in three … Continue reading Jane Austen, Sense and sensibility (Vol. 1, redux)
Whispering Gums 